"It is a matter of pride that out of 81 sportspersons selected for participation in the London Olympics from India, 18 are from Haryana. I firmly believe that, as in the past, our players will continue to excel in future too. On behalf of the people of Haryana, I wish the sportspersons all the best and hope the players will once again bring laurels for the state as well as the nations," said Hooda.

The Haryana government has already given the 18 sportspersons Rs.11 lakh each for qualifying for the Games. The government will also provide class-II jobs for the sportspersons if they win a medal.